Scientists Develop Soothing Mouth Strips to Cure Pizza Burn

It's hard to be patient when a glistening, oozy slice of piping hot pizza is staring you down. The temptation to take a bite is overwhelming despite knowing the risks — the painful burning on the roof of your mouth. But you do it anyway. Ouch. There's good news though: scientists have created a soothing strip to help heal the damage from the scalding slice.

At the 2012 Meeting and Exposition for the American Pharmceutical Society in Chicago, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin debuted their dissolvable oral strips. According to the association, the strips deliver a local anesthetic, benzocaine, and a therapeutic polymer that is a common topical pain reliever found in dental products and throat lozenges. Lead researcher Jason McConville, Ph.D. (now based at the University of New Mexico) said in a press release, "We found these strips to be non-toxic, which has a huge potential for anyone who burns their mouth while eating and drinking hot foods — and that's just about everyone."

The strip can be applied directly to the injury — on the tongue, cheek, or roof of the mouth. But don't worry, they won't interfere with your normal activities as they quickly dissolve, promoting pain relief immediately. The strips resemble the breath freshening aids produced by Listerine. At the moment they are mango-flavored. McConville told NBC News that the strips are just a prototype but he hopes to find a manufacturer to bring the product to market and eventually see them offered over-the-counter. First he'll need to test his product on volunteers who, he told NBC, won't be required to scorch their mouths before receiving the relief.

Would you be willing to sample the healing mouth strips? What do you think they should be called?